Mirror,Mirror
by dreamweaver34
Summary: A girl from West Virginia gets sucked into Harry Potter's world. Problem is, she's in the Marauders time with no way to go home and no idea why she's there. What will happen when she turns history around and makes some interesing discoveries?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP or anything related to it. JK Rowling does.**

**A/N: Something I thought up in science class which is where I get most of my inspiration. This girl travels to HP world and meets some interesting people. I'll try to make this as uncliched as possible. And yes I used my own name for the main character. I do that often with OC and original stories. Martina's thoughts are in _italics_.**

Mirror, Mirror

Martina Wilkinson sighed deeply. She was in science class and normally she enjoyed it, but today she was distracted. She had been reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night before she went to bed, and she could have sworn the words had changed. They had almost looked like a different language. Martina had blinked and the page went back to normal.

Martina had taken the book to school in hopes it would change back, but it didn't. She loved the supernatural and mysteries so this really intrigued her. She sighed again and pushed her long blonde hair out of her deep blue eyes. She forced herself to concentrate on what the teacher was saying but she couldn't wait to get out of this class as it was her last one of the day. Finally the bell rang and she was free. She hurried to her locker and grabbed her things. She didn't have any homework today for which she was immensely grateful. She waved to a few people as she left.

It was winter but in West Virginia, where she lived, it was just a cold, dreary day. It had not snowed at all. Martina immediately set out for her favorite bookstore, a really old place her grandfather owned. As she walked along, her thoughts turned to her favorite book series, Harry Potter. She had always wanted to be able to do magic but knew that it was impossible. After all, everyone said so. Everyone except her grandfather, that is. He always believed that there were other worlds beyond this one and he always told her to never stop believing. She sighed again. _I seem to be doing that a lot, _she thought sullenly.

She got to the shop and opened the door. The first thing that greeted her was the smell of the place. She could never quite describe it but there was always a smell of herbs in the air. Her grandfather sold herbs, candles, and other mystical items along with books. She walked along the shelves until she got to the counter. "Hey, Grandpa," she said to the wizened old man behind the counter. "Hello, sweet," Grandpa said, smiling.

"Do you need me to help with anything?" she asked after setting her backpack behind the counter. "A new shipment just came in. Can you go back and review it?" The old man asked, eyes twinkling. "Sure, Grandpa," Martina said, starting back to the end of the store where the storerooms were. She entered the storerooms and started to sift through the boxes. After sorting through a few different boxes, she came across one marked fragile. She opened it carefully and took out several old books and a few candles. At the bottom, Martina found an old mirror wrapped in cloth. She unwrapped it and looked at it. _I wonder why Grandpa ordered this. _

She flipped it over and stared at the insignia on the back. It was a lion, snake, badger, and eagle on a coat of arms surrounding an H. She gasped when she recognized it. It was the Hogwarts crest. She flipped it back over and stared at the surface. Suddenly, she felt the floor tilt and she was falling forward into the mirror. Before she could stop herself, she was falling through the mirror into who knows where. It felt like eternity but it was only a few seconds before she hit the ground, hard. Taking a few minutes to get her bearings, she looked at the ground. It wasn't solid earth, but a carpet. An amused chuckle came from above her and she looked up sharply. "Who do we have here?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay thanks to the one person who reviewed. But hey even if only one person likes it, I'll still write it so here it is. Also this story is kinda AU since Martina is gonna change the past.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP. If I did, HBP would have gone differently.**

Chapter 2

_She was falling through the mirror into who knows where. It felt like eternity but it was only a few seconds before she hit the ground, hard. Taking a few minutes to get her bearings, she looked at the ground. It wasn't solid earth, but a carpet. An amused chuckle came from above her and she looked up sharply. "Who do we have here?"_

Martina looked into the blue twinkling eyes behind half-moon spectacles. "Where am I?" she asked staring at the man and trying to place him. He had a long white beard and long white hair. He was wearing long robes that would definitely not have been acceptable at her school.

She gasped as she realized who it was_. It can't be_ she thought puzzled. _This cannot be Albus Dumbledore. _"You, my dear, are at Hogwarts," he said amused, confirming her suspicions.

She heard voices behind him and when she turned around she caught a flash of brilliant red hair. A girl with brilliant red curly hair and bright green eyes looked down at her, wand clutched in her hand but not pointed at Martina.

"Who are you?" she asked, curiously. Four boys came around to stand beside her. One of them had messy black hair and glasses. Standing next to him was a boy with smooth black hair who was very handsome. On the other side of this boy was a boy with brownish hair and who looked a little pale. The boy next to him had mousy hair and was looking rather nervous.

Martina was startled into silence as she recognized Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. She sat staring at them until Lily repeated her question which snapped Martina back into reality.

"My name's Martina Wilkinson," she answered still a little bit shocked. "Where did you come from?" James Potter asked. "I think we should let this young lady get off the floor before we question her further," Dumbledore spoke up with another twinkle in his eye. Remus bent forward to help her up but she stood up on her own, brushing off his help.

She settled into a chair and the five students stood next to her. Dumbledore sat behind his desk. "Now dear where are you from?" he asked nicely.

Martina considered lying and saying she was from some magical world but she decided Dumbledore would understand and she knew she could trust Lily and the Marauders, at least for the time being.(She knew what happened with Peter, but here and now she was sure he was still good.)

"I'm from America, Charleston, West Virginia to be exact. I fell through a magic mirror that had the Hogwarts' crest on the back." She looked around quickly, as she realized she hadn't thought of the mirror since she fell through.

"You mean this?" Remus asked, holding the mirror out to her. "It was lying next to you."

"Yes," she said taking it from him.

"Let me see that, dear," Dumbledore said, extending his hand. She gave it to him and he looked over it carefully. "This is definitely a magical item and a strong one at that. If I'm not mistaken, it belonged to the founders of this school. Legends have told of a mystical mirror that was a symbol of the founders' friendship. When they split up, the mirror was lost." He looked at her over his spectacles. "Are you a witch?" he asked.

"No, sir," she answered. "In fact, in my world, there is no such thing as magic, at least not the type of magic that involves real wands."

"So you're saying you're from a different world?" Sirius asked, looking at her strangely, not that Martina could blame him.

"I guess, because in my world, you're all characters from a book series and you guys aren't even the main characters," she answered.

"What book are we in?" Peter asked nervously.

Before Martina could answer, Dumbledore spoke up. "I don't think we should question her further about this book because it might not bode well in the future."

Martina agreed with him and so did the other five students.

"Do you think you can get home dear?" Dumbledore asked her. She was slightly annoyed at him for calling her dear all the time but she let it go. "I don't know if I can or not sir. I could try though."

"Please do," Dumbledore said politely.

Martina concentrated on the mirror and imagined herself falling through it as she really had no other idea. However, after a few minutes of staring at the mirror, she sighed and looked up at Dumbledore.

"I can't sir," she said.

"Very well, then. You may remain at Hogwarts' for the time being but I need you to tell me everything that was happening before you fell through the mirror," Dumbledore said.

Martina told him everything about her grandfather's shop and the store room.

"Okay, I will look into the matter. For now though, you will remain here at Hogwarts'. You will need to go to Diagon Alley and purchase clothes and a wand and other things. You will tell everyone you are a transfer student from Durmstrang. After you get settled, you'll be sorted," Dumbledore said calmly.

"Thank you sir but I don't have any money," Martina said, with a note of excitement in her voice. _I might be able to stay at Hogwarts'!_

"I will pay for whatever you need. Just tell the salespeople to put it on my tab. Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter will take you there and show you around. You five can consider it your punishment for wrecking the Heads common room. You know, Mister Potter, you really shouldn't provoke Miss Evans into hexing you." Dumbledore said still calm.

"Thank you sir," Martina said happily, wondering if Lily and James had gotten into an argument and the others had seen it. That would explain why they were all in the Headmaster's office.

Dumbledore went around to the fireplace and started a fire in it with his wand. He took a box off the mantle and opened it up to reveal a black powder.

"This is floo powder. You just throw it into the fire, step in, and say where you want to go. James and Lily can go first so you can see how it's done," Dumbledore explained to Martina. She already knew how floo powder worked but she still let him explain it.

She watched Lily and James take a pinch of powder each and throw it into the fire, stepping in, and shouting 'Diagon Alley'. She followed suit and found herself whisked off with only a last single glance at Dumbledore's office. The last thing she saw was Remus Lupin, smiling at her.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay there's not that much to write so let's get to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP. JKR does. (Do you have to put a disclaimer on every chapter?)**

Chapter 3

"_This is floo powder. You just throw it into the fire, step in, and say where you want to go. James and Lily can go first so you can see how it's done," Dumbledore explained to Martina. She already knew how floo powder worked but she still let him explain it._

_She watched Lily and James take a pinch of powder each and throw it into the fire, stepping in, and shouting 'Diagon Alley'. She followed suit and found herself whisked off with only a last single glance at Dumbledore's office. The last thing she saw was Remus Lupin, smiling at her._

Martina's landing when she stepped out of the fireplace and into The Leaky Cauldron was ungraceful, to say the least. She hit the floor, hard. "Ouch, I seem to be doing that a lot," she muttered to herself.

A hand on her elbow pulled her up and she looked sideways at Lily. James was talking with a man she assumed was Tom. He looked exactly like he had been described in the books.

"Thanks," she said to Lily. Lily smiled and nodded. Martina couldn't help but smile back.

A few minutes later, Sirius, Remus, and Peter stepped out of the fireplace. All of them landed gracefully enough, with the exception of Peter. He stumbled out of the fireplace, knocking a few of the empty chairs in the pub over.

"So where do we go?" Martina asked cheerfully even though she already knew the answer.

"This way," Remus said with a smile. Sirius gave a silly little bow and said "Mademoiselle, allow me to escort you."

"Thanks but no thanks," Martina said laughing. "I can escort myself."

Sirius looked slightly put off but he soon got over it.

The six walked into what looked kinda liked a back alley, except it was boxed in with bricks. Remus went to one of the walls and tapped it three times. A passageway opened before Martina's eyes. Even though she had read about it, nothing was like actually seeing Diagon Alley open up before you.

Diagon Alley was very busy, as she learned right off. She noticed Remus stuck close to her. _He probably thinks I'll get lost_, she thought indignantly. _I'll show him._

"Our first stop is for a wand isn't it?" Martina asked. "Yes, that's probably a good place to start," James said, starting to lead the way. "Ollivander's makes the best wands," Peter chipped in.

Martina didn't need James to lead the way and she found Ollivander's rather quickly, without James leading.

She entered and the others followed. Inside Ollivander's, there were rows and rows and stacks and stacks of wands. "Mr. Ollivander?" she called.

An old looking man with very piercing eyes came out from behind one of the rows. His clothes were slightly old-fashioned and he was a little bit stooped.

"Have you come to buy a wand?" he asked Martina gazing at her. "Yes, sir," Martina answered, shifting. His gaze made her uncomfortable, like he could see through her.

"Very well," he said, ignoring her companions and walking down one of the rows.

He came out carrying a long blue box which he opened and took out a wand. He handed it to her.

"Give it a wave," he commanded. Martina did and a light bulb in the lamp next to her exploded. Remus waved his own wand and muttered **_Reparo_** and the light bulb flew back together and into the lamp.

"Not that one," he muttered to himself.

He went back and forth between rows and stacks taking out wands and handing them to her. None of them worked for her and he would always snatch it back and say "Not that one."

When Martina was running out of patience, he came out with a long black box that had the Hogwarts' crest on it. He took the wand out, looked at it for a moment, and handed it to her.

She took it cautiously and waved it. A particular warmth spread up her fingers and into the rest of her body.

Ollivander smiled and took the wand back wrapping it up in the box and handing it to her. "Curios. This wand is made of birch, a very strong wood type. It is very curios that you should get this wand when it was said to have a piece of each of the founder's spirits inside of it. It was always said that the founder's believed if they were ever broken up; one person would be able to use that wand. For what purpose, I do not know but it is very curios indeed," he said gazing at her hard.

Again, that stare unnerved Martina. She wanted to get out of there quickly so she said, "Dumbledore said to put it on his tab."

She quickly took the wand and walked, almost ran, out of the shop. The others followed and when she was a few stores away, she stopped to catch her breath and the others joined her.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked her, concerned.

"Fine, that guy just unnerved me a little," She responded. "He does that to everyone," Lily said reassuringly. "Yeah, I almost ran out of the store when I first saw him," James chimed in.

Sirius and Peter laughed at that. Remus smiled and Martina managed a weak smile. Lily just looked disapproving but she couldn't hold it for long and she too smiled.

"Where to next?" Sirius asked. "Clothes," Lily said and she dragged them all to Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

As they walked, they talked and Martina learned that they were in their seventh year (as she would be when she was sorted) and that Lily and James were Headboy and Headgirl.

Lily personally confided in Martina that she thought Dumbledore was on something if he had let James be Headboy. Martina just smiled, knowing what would happen in the future, but then she frowned. "Are you alright?" Lily asked her.

"Fine," Martina answered, faking cheerfulness. She decided not to think about the future too much.

She also learned that Dumbledore had asked Remus to give her lessons to catch her up on the classes. She wasn't sure how she felt about that just yet.

When they got to the clothes store, it really wasn't that busy and Madame Malkin could see to Martina immediately. She measured Martina and fitted her with her school uniform, robe, and hat. Lily also said that Martina needed a set of dress robes because there was going to be a ball during the school year. Martina found a beautiful blue color that she thought might look good on her and Madame Malkin fitted it onto her.

When they were done, Madame Malkin said she would send everything to Hogwarts'. The next place they went was the Apothecary. Martina got the potions ingredients she needed. She also learned they were only a week into the school year so she needed a lot.

They went to Flourish and Blott's and Lily helped Martina find the books and quills and parchment she needed. Martina also looked for the book she had always wanted to read, Hogwarts': A History.

She took it off the shelf before putting it back.

James and Sirius came up behind her and James asked "Are you going to get it?"

Martina turned around and answered "No, it wouldn't be right. I shouldn't spend Dumbledore's money."

She walked off to the counter to pay for her things. While her back was turned, James motioned for the others to join him and Sirius. He took the book off the shelf and quickly explained his plan. The others agreed and they all went off.

After Martina got her books, Lily, Peter, and Sirius whisked her off to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Sirius claimed he'd buy. When Martina asked where James and Remus were, Lily said they went to another store to buy a few things.

After they all got an ice cream and sat down, they started to talk about what classes were like. Even though Martina knew the some of the teachers, she didn't know if the same teachers were in the time. She learned McGonagall, Flitwick, and Binns still taught they're same subjects and that Slughorn taught Potions, a woman named Prof. Kress taught Herbology, a woman named Prof. Ransbottom taught Divination and a man named Prof. Kettleburn taught Care of Magical Creatures which were the subjects Martina was taking, since they were the most common.

James and Remus joined them shortly, both grinning about something. Remus was hiding something behind his back. Martina looked at them strangely, but didn't comment.

Soon they were all headed back to Hogwarts' which meant another floo ride. Martina landed a little bit more gracefully this time even though she had several packages but not all of them. Remus and the boys had taken most of them. Lily had also tried to help, but James had taken the packages she held from her and insisted she shouldn't stress herself. He was trying to be chivalrous but he just ended up annoying Lily and causing her to get mad.

When they landed back in Dumbledore's office, he was sitting behind his desk as calm as ever. "Did everything go okay?" he asked pleasantly.

"Everything went fine. Thank you for paying for all this," Martina said nodding to the packages.

"My pleasure, Miss Wilkinson. Your clothes have already arrived and I set up a bed in the Gryffindor girls' dorm. Ms. Evans can show you where it is and tell you the password. Also, I ask of all of you not to tell anyone who Miss Wilkinson really is and where she comes from."

Martina and the others nodded to him and left. She yawned as she walked down the staircase from Dumbledore's office.

As they walked, Lily talked about the girls' that Martina would be sharing a room with. She said they would get along great.

When they got to Gryffindor Tower, everyone was already in bed. The girls said good bye to the boys and they went their separate ways. Martina remembered something and asked Lily what day it was. "Saturday," Lily replied showing Martina where she would be sleeping for tonight. Lily changed into her pajamas and Martina, having no pajamas, would just sleep in her clothes.

_So it's a day later here then it was in my world_, Martina thought before sleep overtook her.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, here's chapter 4. To those who reviewed, thanks for the name suggestions and they're gonna be used here. Also, Martina only has three dorm mates. I don't know if there are supposed to be more, but for this story there is only three.**

**Also **_italics_** are thoughts, bold is spells or words that are shouted, and _bold italics_ are the Sorting Hat's thoughts. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP.**

Chapter 4

_When they got to Gryffindor Tower, everyone was already in bed. The girls said good bye to the boys and they went their separate ways. Martina remembered something and asked Lily what day it was. "Saturday," Lily replied showing Martina where she would be sleeping for tonight. Lily changed into her pajamas and Martina, having no pajamas, would just sleep in her clothes._

_So it's a day later here then it was in my world, Martina thought before sleep overtook her._

Martina woke up and it took her a moment to get her surroundings. When she remembered all that had happened in the past day, she lay down and thought for a few moments. She was the only one up so far and the room was quiet except for the light snoring of one of the girls.

_Okay, I fell through a magic mirror that had the Hogwarts' crest on the back and met Albus Dumbledore, Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. I was allowed to stay at Hogwarts' and I'll be learning magic. I have a wand and spell books and potion ingredients. I'm getting sorted today and I'm to tell everyone I'm a transfer student from Durmstrang. _Martina was confident she had gotten a hold of everything so she stood up out of bed.

She looked for her packages and found them at the foot of the bed. There was also a large trunk. She opened it and pulled out her school uniform and a robe. She also saw a nightgown and a bag containing health items such as a tooth brush, tooth paste, shampoo, soap, etc. Dumbledore must have put them there somehow.

She grabbed the bag and her clothes and headed for the bathroom. After a shower and getting changed into fresh clothes, she felt more awake.

When she walked out of the bathroom, she saw the other girls were up and moving around. Lily came over to her and the other girls crowded around.

"Girls, this is Martina Wilkinson. She's a transfer student from Durmstrang and she'll be sorted today," Lily explained that Martina had arrived let last evening and Dumbledore had put her in their dorm, before she ducked into the bathroom leaving the girls to introduce themselves.

A girl with pretty curly brown hair and brown eyes was first and she shook Martina's and said "Hi. I'm Christina Johnson. Please just call me Tina, though." Martina smiled and shook this girl's hand.

The next girl who came up had sleek black hair pulled into a ponytail and blue eyes. You could tell she was excited as she was practically jumping up and down. "Hi! I'm Shelley Baldwin. I hope you're sorted into Gryffindor because you'll really love it." Martina laughed as she shook this girl's hand.

After her, came a girl with blonde hair who was slightly plump. Martina was sure she knew this girl or knew of her but she couldn't exactly place her. "Hello. I'm Alice Smith. I hope you have a good time at Hogwarts'." Martina realized with a start that this girl was Neville Longbottom's mother, Alice Longbottom, or now Alice Smith.

Lily came out of the bathroom after that and the other girls scrambled to get it. Martina and Lily laughed.

After they were all ready, they headed downstairs to the common room. A few kids were milling around here. Lily had just finished telling Martina that normally she didn't sleep in the girls' dorm since she and James had separate quarters since they were Heads when James and his friends and a boy Martina had not met yet came downstairs from the boys' dorm.

Lily started to walk fast towards the portrait but she was too late. James had seen her and called out her name. She froze and turned around stiffly. Martina and the other girls stood off to the side and the boys that had come down with James stood next to them.

"What do you want, James?" Lily asked. Since they were both Heads, she had given up calling him by his last name and he had done the same.

"Relax, Lily. I just wanted to know when we should get together to plan the ball," James said easily, giving Lily a huge smile. Lily, however, really wasn't all that impressed.

"Sometime today would be fine," she said shrugging and walking out, just leaving James there. James looked slightly crestfallen but he soon perked up.

"At least she didn't yell at me," he said, turning to the group of people behind him which was made up of Martina and the girls from the dorm and Sirius, Remus, and Peter and that other boy whose name Martina still didn't know but who looked slightly familiar.

The other girls just looked at each other and then walked out of the portrait after Lily. Martina made to follow them but before she could, Remus stopped her.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked her, smiling. Something tugged at her heart, but she ignored it. The last thing she needed was to fall in love with someone from a book.

"I slept fine, thanks," she said, deciding it wouldn't hurt to smile back at him. "This is Frank Longbottom," he said, introducing the boy who had come downstairs with the Marauders. Suddenly, Martina knew why this boy had seemed so familiar. He was Neville Longbottom's father and Alice Smith's future husband.

"It's nice meeting you," Martina said shaking his hand. "Likewise," he replied. He was tall and slightly muscular, with defined features.

"Let's go down to breakfast. I'm starving!" Sirius suddenly burst out. "You're always starving," James said laughing. The others laughed too and, after a moment of pouting, so did Sirius. They all headed downstairs.

When Martina first entered the Great Hall, she was shocked. It was huge! Looking up, she was startled to see that the ceiling looked exactly like the sky outside. She had read about it but she had never thought it would look this real.

Martina quickly identified each of the tables. The staff table was easy as it was at the front and Dumbledore was sitting in the center of it. The Gryffindor table was also easy to identify as Lily and her friends were sitting there talking. They waved for her to join them and she smiled and started to walk to them. As she did, she surveyed the rest of the tables. The Slytherins were easy to identify as they were all wearing green ties and glaring at her. She couldn't possibly guess why. The Ravenclaws were wearing blue ties and many of them had textbooks sitting on the table. The Hufflepuffs were wearing yellow and they were all seemed very pleasant.

Martina sat down next to Lily and across from Christina. Shelley sat on Christina's right side and Alice sat on her left. James and his friends came and sat next to the girls with James sitting right next to Lily, something she didn't seem to happy about.

After everyone was seated, Dumbledore stood up and clapped his hands for attention. Chatter ceased and they all looked at him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today is a wonderful day. We have a new student joining us. She is from Durmstrang and I expect you all to treat her kindly." Here he looked at the Slytherins before turning his attention back to the rest. "She will be sorted now to see which House she will stay in. Miss Wilkinson," he said, beckoning to Martina.

She blushed and stood up, walking to the front. She could hear Lily and the others whispering encouragement.

She walked onto the platform and sat on the little stool. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head.

**_Hmmm. This is very difficult. You have the bravery of Gryffindor, the intelligence of Ravenclaw, the loyalty of Hufflepuff, and the cunning of Slytherin. I have never seen a student who possesses traits of all four founders. I wonder where I should put you_**, the voice in Martina's ear was saying. _Gryffindor, _Martina thought. **_Gryffindor, eh? Yes, I think that's a good choice. Gryffindor was the best at getting the others to work together. Okay then _Gryffindor**, the hat shouted out the last word.

The Gryffindor table erupted with applause as Martina took the hat off and walked on shaking legs to the table. She sat down next to Lily who hugged her as the others were clapping and cheering.

Martina couldn't help but think of what the Sorting Hat had said. Did she really possess qualities of each of the four founders?

"Are you okay?" Tina asked her. Martina decided to forget about the hat for the time being. "I'm fine," she said, smiling wide at Tina who smiled back.

"Martina," a voice behind her said. She turned around to find Remus, James, Sirius, Peter, and Lily standing behind her. The other girls came around to sit beside her. "We got this for you yesterday at Diagon Alley," Remus said, holding something behind his back. He was the one who had said her name.

He took his hands out from behind his back and handed her a wrapped parcel. She took it, giving him a curios look. He just continued smiling.

She unwrapped the package and a book fell into her lap. She gasped when she saw the cover. It was _Hogwarts: A History_,the book she'd wanted yesterday but hadn't gotten. She looked at the people before her who were all smiling.

She wasn't sure exactly what to say, so she just jumped up and hugged them each. "Thank you guys. I love it," she said truthfully. "We're glad," Remus said, grinning. "We figured if you're gonna be a student here, you need to know all about this school," James told her. Martina hugged them all once again before Sirius suggested they all go walk around the lake.

They agreed, so Martina, Lily, Tina, Shelley, Alice, Frank, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all headed for the door. Before they got there, however, several Slytherin students blocked their way.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," the Slytherin boy closest to Martina said. He had long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail and a smug face. Martina recognized with a start that this was Lucius Malfoy. A blonde beautiful girl who Martina assumed was Narcissa Black, his future wife and Sirius's cousin, was draped on his arm.

Her suspicions were confirmed when James said "We don't really want to deal with you right now Lucius, so can you and Narcissa please move?"

"What's the matter, Potter? Afraid we might hurt your little girlfriend?" said a pale boy with greasy black hair who was standing next to Lucius and who Martina recognized as Severus Snape. A girl with black hair and striking beauty, who Martina also recognized as Bellatrix Black, another one of Sirius's cousins, laughed.

James tensed at Snape's comment, but before he or anyone could do anything, Prof. McGonagall came over. She looked just like she was described in the books just a little bit younger.

"Is there a problem here?" she asked looking at all of them. "No, professor," Sirius said charmingly, though it didn't really change McGonagall's demeanor. "I should hope not," she said. The Slytherin students walked off with a last glare at the Gryffindors.

"Miss Wilkinson, could you please come to my office?" McGonagall asked, gazing at Martina. "Sure, professor," Martina said glancing at the others who she now considered her friends. They all gave her sympathetic looks.

Martina walked down the hallway behind the professor looking at all the portraits and ghosts they passed. The first time a painting had moved or a ghost had popped out of the wall, Martina had been beyond surprised but she got used to it.

Professor McGonagall led Martina into a very professional office. She gestured for Martina to take a chair which Martina did.

McGonagall sat at her desk. She didn't really want anything all that important, just to welcome Martina to Gryffindor and to tell her that all the teachers knew where she had really come from because Dumbledore told them. She also gave Martina her schedule and explained that Martina would take lessons in magic from Remus in the evenings, starting tonight. She also wanted to know if Martina could write with quill and ink on parchment. Martina said she didn't know if she could or not because she had never tried. McGonagall said she would also have to practice that.

After that, Martina was free to go so she decided to head back to the common room. She said the password and the painting swung open. The Gryffindor Common Room was elegant with red chairs and couches, red and gold curtains, and a gold rug on the floor. There were no students as everyone was outside on such a beautiful day. She laid down on one of the couches to think, hugging the book the others, well Remus, had gotten her, but she was asleep in an instant. It had been a very long morning.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. Things have been really busy. I'll try to update more often.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JKR does.**

Chapter 5

_McGonagall explained that Martina would take lessons in magic from Remus in the evenings, starting tonight. She also wanted to know if Martina could write with quill and ink on parchment. Martina said she didn't know if she could or not because she had never tried. McGonagall said she would also have to practice that. _

_After that, Martina was free to go so she decided to head back to the common room. She said the password and the painting swung open. The Gryffindor Common Room was elegant with red chairs and couches, red and gold curtains, and a gold rug on the floor. There were no students as everyone was outside on such a beautiful day. She laid down on one of the couches to think, hugging the book the others, well Remus, had gotten her, but she was asleep in an instant. It had been a very long morning._

When Martina awoke, she saw that it was beginning to look dark outside. _Wow, I must have been tired_, she thought. _I wonder if lunch is over. _She sat up and stretched. A book fell to the floor and Martina picked it up, confused for a moment, before she realized that it was the book Remus and the others had got for her. She smiled at the thought.

She decided to go to the Great Hall, in case lunch was still going. As she made her way through the halls of Hogwarts, she wondered what was going on in her world. She knew her grandfather would have come to check on her after awhile and she wondered what he would do when he couldn't find her.

He would probably call her parents and they would panic and call the police. Her older sister would probably get upset and her mom and dad would be scared. In a way, it was like the time she got lost at the State Fair, except this time, there was no lost children's tent she could go to and wait till they found her, which they did. She felt bad knowing that her family would be worried for her, but there really wasn't anything she could do about it.

As she rounded the corner, she heard voices. She stepped back into the shadows and peered at the people coming down the hall. There were four and Martina recognized them as the Marauders. She heaved a small sigh of relief and was about to step out of the shadows when they started talking again.

"Why are we doing this again?" Remus asked. "You're the one who wanted to go down to the kitchens and get food for Martina since she missed lunch and dinner is still a couple hours away," James answered. "It's so sweet how you care for her," Sirius said teasingly. Remus blushed a little and glared at Sirius. "I meant, why are we doing this without the cloak and the map?" he said. "It isn't like we're going to teepee the Slytherin common room, so we don't need to be sneaky," James answered. "That's a good idea, mate," Sirius said to James. "Want to do it tonight?" Peter looked eager at the idea. "Can't," James said. "I'm meeting with Lily about the ball." "And I'm meeting with Martina to teach her the basics of magic," Remus added. "Ok," Sirius said. "I understand you two have to tend to your girls. Peter and I will just hang out by ourselves in Gryffindor tower." He dodged the blow James sent his way. "Lily's not mine, yet," James said softly. "And Martina's not mine," Remus added. They walked on and Martina didn't hear the rest of their conversation.

She emerged from the shadows and turned around to make her way back to Gryffindor Tower, now knowing that lunch was over. When she got there, Lily, Tina, Shelley, and Alice were sitting at a table, talking. Martina walked over to them and took a seat.

"Hey," Lily said, smiling at her. Martina smiled back, then she looked at the books scattered on the table. "What are you guys doing?" she asked. "Homework," Shelley replied, sticking her tongue out. Martina laughed, and then she went to get her books from the girls' room. She also brought down her bag and quill and ink.

When Lily asked her what she was doing, she said she was getting her bag ready for tomorrow. She would need her Transfiguration book, her DADA book, and her Potions book. She also had Herbology but she didn't need a book for that. She also put several rolls of parchment and her quill and ink in the bag.

As she was finishing, Peter came through the portrait hole. He walked over to the girls with a smile. "Hey guys," he said. "Hey Peter," the girls responded. "James and the others asked me to come and get you," Peter was grinning. "Why?" Shelley asked.

"We have a surprise for you in the Heads quarters," Peter said, still grinning.

Lily was suspicious. "None of James surprises turn out to be good," she said, surveying Peter. Peter fidgeted but kept talking.

"This is a good surprise," he assured Lily.

"I think it will be okay," Tina spoke up. "Yeah," Alice agreed.

"I don't know," Lily said, still unsure.

"Oh come on, Lily," Shelley said, rolling her eyes. "James has changed this year, so maybe he really does have something nice planned."

"I'm up for it," Martina said.

"Okay," Lily finally agreed.

They all stood up and followed Peter out of the common room. Martina made sure to memorize the way to the Heads rooms.

When they got to the portrait that led into the Heads rooms (a cat and dog sitting on a man's lap, the portrait cut off the top of the man's head), Lily said the password, which was _chocolate_, and they went into the Heads common room. The lights were off and the portrait snapped shut behind them with a click.

The lights came on and the first thing Martina saw was a table piled with food. Then James, Sirius, and Remus came into view. They were all grinning.

Lily was the first to recover. "What is this?" she asked incredulously.

"We're just having a little party, Lily," James said, coming forward and taking Lily's hand and leading her towards the table.

Sirius came forward and gave a mocking bow to Tina and Shelley and offered his arms. They looked at each other then smiled and took his arms. Remus came up and gently took Martina's hand, leading her forward. Peter and Alice brought up the rear.

"Why did you guys do all this?" Alice asked. "We just thought a little welcoming party was in order," Sirius said smiling.

"Yeah, we're all glad Martina was sorted into Gryffindor so we thought we'd have a party and while we're at it, we'll just have dinner here," Remus was looking at Martina and smiling. Martina couldn't help but smile back and think _Maybe it won't be so bad to fall in love with someone from a book_.

Martina surveyed the Heads common room. The walls were red and the two couches and two chairs were gold. There was a fireplace with a mantle on top in the front of the room. Hanging over the mantle was a portrait of a man. He had strong features and brown hair. He was smiling a secret smile. His chocolate brown eyes held a certain warmth. He was wearing red robes and he was very handsome. When Martina asked Remus, he told her it was Godric Gryffindor.

James was talking with Lily and Sirius was flirting with Tina. Shelley, Alice, and Peter were talking about Quidditch and Martina was talking to Remus. She had already learned that James and Sirius were on the Gryffindor team. James was Seeker and Sirius was Keeper.

None of them noticed Godric get up in his portrait and walk sideways out of it.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I really don't have anything to say so on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JKR does. (And if you don't know who JKR is then you shouldn't be reading this story)**

Chapter 6

_None of them noticed Godric get up in his portrait and walk sideways out of it._

Godric walked through the many portraits of Hogwarts' until he came to an empty portrait frame in an almost bare room. The only other thing in the room was three other portraits, one on each wall. They were all occupied and Godric surveyed them for a moment.

The one across from Godric, on the south wall, was a portrait of a man with black hair and a black goatee. He had a stern expression but there was a distinct twinkle in his black eyes. He was wearing green robes and he was very handsome. He was Salazar Slytherin.

The woman on the east wall was wearing blue robes and had her red hair in a bun at the back of her head. Her blue eyes sparkled with intelligence. She was smiling. She was Rowena Ravenclaw.

The woman across from her on the west wall was wearing yellow robes and had her blonde hair down. Her green eyes held kindness in them and had a warm expression on her face. She was Helga Hufflepuff.

Salazar was the first to speak. "What is going on, Godric?" he asked. "I keep feeling a weird yet familiar presence in the castle."

"I feel it, too," Rowena said. Helga nodded.

"I'll tell you what's going on," Godric said. "The one we have been waiting for is here." The others gasped (in the women's case) or froze in place (in Salazar's case).

"Are you sure, Godric?" Helga asked, a little unsure.

"Yes, she has our old wand and our old mirror. I could sense both," Godric said, nodding.

You see, even though Salazar had left Hogwarts', he came back when he'd heard his old friend Godric was sick with a deathly illness that even magic couldn't cure. He had talked with Rowena, Helga, and Godric. They had all agreed that the discord in the school had gone too far but it was too late for them to stop it. They had preserved a piece of themselves in both the mirror and the wand. The mirror was supposed to go to whoever could unite the four houses as they once were meant to be. It was one of those mystical things where the mirror would somehow or another find the person. The mirror would then take them to Hogwarts' and hopefully they would need a wand so they would have to go to Ollivander's. Even though the Ollivander Martina met hadn't been the Ollivander that the wand was entrusted to, the legend was passed down through the family so each Ollivander knew it.

After the founders did that, they then had portraits of themselves made and they did the charm so they could walk and talk and things, but then they also placed a spell on them so that when the one they needed was near, there portraits would sense it. Godric had seen all of the Marauders and Lily and the girls several times before so he knew they weren't the ones he sensed, but he had never seen Martina and he knew in an instant she was the one they wanted.

"So does that mean she's the link?" Rowena asked.

"I believe so," Godric said.

"But does she know?" Salazar asked.

"I'm not sure. If she's tried casting a spell with the wand, then she should. If she hasn't then I'm sure she'll learn soon enough," Godric answered.

"Have you talked with the Headmaster yet?" Helga asked. "Not yet," Godric replied. "But I'm sure he'll be okay with it. He seems to want the Houses united as much as we do."

"Okay then, you should probably get back to the Heads common room," Salazar said.

"It would have been easier if the Heads were from different houses, then two of us could watch her," Rowena said.

"Yeah, but young Lily and James make a cute couple," Helga said, smiling.

"You were always a romantic, Helga," Godric said, shaking his head and walking out of the portrait to his one in the Heads common room.

scene break 

While Godric was meeting with the other founders, Martina and the others had finished with their little party and Remus was now trying to show Martina how to write with quill and ink. She wasn't having much success and the ink kept dripping everywhere. The others sat and watched, amused. After about an hour, Martina finally got the hang of it.

Lily and James started to talk about the ball, while Sirius and the rest watched Remus teach Martina some of the basic spells.

Remus started off by teaching her the very basic Lumos spell.

"All you do is wave your wand and say _Lumos_," Remus explained, demonstrating. "Now you try."

Martina did as he said and was delighted when the tip of her wand lit up. She was about to cheer for herself, when her wand started to glow and a white light started to shine from it.

"Remus, what's going on?" Martina said alarmed. The others rushed over to her.

"I'm not sure," Remus said, eyes wide.

Before anyone could do anything else, the light started to grow and four separate beams broke off. The beams looked kinda liked projector lights and that's what they did. They projected four images that solidified until they were solid people.

Martina saw that there were two men and two women. When the light faded and the images were left, Martina recognized one of the men as Godric Gryffindor. She was sure the other three were the other founders and her suspicions were confirmed when Lily whispered, "The founders."

Godric spoke first. "Please don't be alarmed. We mean you no harm."

Martina stared at them in amazement, as did the others in the room who were not over a hundred years old. She straightened when Salazar approached her.

"Are you the one who possesses the wand?" he asked, standing over her.

Martina nodded and managed to stutter, "Are you-you the founders of Hogwarts'?"

"Salazar, you're scaring the girl," Helga came up beside Salazar. "Yes, dear. We are the founders."

"Why did you come out of my wand?" Martina asked, regaining her composure.

"A piece of our souls are inside there and so when you cast the spell, we came out," Rowena explained.

Remus regained himself at that. "That spell was very simple. Why would you come out at the use of that spell?" he asked.

"It didn't matter what spell it was. That was the first spell she cast with the wand so we came out," Salazar explained.

James, Lily, and the rest had also regained their composure. "Why did you put a piece of yourselves in the wand?" Lily asked.

"I think you better sit down so we can explain," Godric said.

Martina, Remus, Lily, James, Peter, Sirius, Alice, Tina, and Shelley sat down with Sirius and Tina in the chairs and Martina, Remus, Lily, and James on one couch and Peter, Alice, and Shelley on the other.

"Okay, this will make more sense if we start at the beginning," Godric said, then he began. "We are the founders of Hogwarts' and when we first created the school, it was great. The students were happy and our friendship was better than ever. But then something happened, we were never quite sure what. We started to fight with each other and so did our students. It almost seemed like Hogwarts' was to end. Then Salazar left the school and after we stopped fighting. We were very sad to see him leave, though."

Salazar took up the story. "I traveled for a while until I heard that Godric was ill with a sickness even magic couldn't cure. I returned and talked with my old friends. We made up and things were like they were before. The only problem was that our students couldn't make up and that continued to fight and disagree. We decided that if we couldn't unite the Houses again while we were alive, we would create a way so that one day someone would come who would unite the Houses."

Rowena took over. "We put a piece of our selves into the wand and a mirror that had the crest on the back. The mirror would bring the person who could unite the Houses to Hogwarts' and then we hoped that person would need a wand. They would go to Ollivander's and he would realize who they were and let them try the wand. If it responded to them, the wand was theirs."

Martina interrupted here. "I have the wand and the mirror," she said.

Helga nodded. "We know. We could sense them. When the person who could use the wand cast the first spell, we would appear to tell them of their destiny, the destiny to unite the Houses as they once were. We had a bit of our spirits put into our portraits, which reside in this castle, so that when the person who could use the wand appeared, we would be there to help them do what needed to be done."

Godric finished the story. "After doing all that, the others caught the illness I had, and we died. A Headmaster was established at Hogwarts' and teachers, too. They would continue to teach students and hopefully try to inspire peace, but someone thought up the idea of Head of Houses and peace was again extinguished because the teachers would get competitive when it came to Quidditch matches and such. Our portraits have remained in a secret room, until we found the one."

Martina was still reeling from the info she had just been given, but she collected herself enough to ask "So you guys are going to be moved into the girls' dorms?" It was the first thing she thought of.

"Yes, Rowena and I will," Helga said. "Godric and Salazar will either be in the boys' dorms or here in the Heads common rooms."

Martina was still shocked and so were the others.

"We have to go now, but our portraits will be moved. We believe Dumbledore will allow that," Rowena said.

"The future of Hogwarts' rests in your hands now," Salazar said.

"We will see you later," Godric said before they all disappeared.

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Sirius spoke up.

"So you're like some sort of heroine now, huh?" he asked. "I guess," Martina said.

"Sounds cool," Remus said, smiling at her. By now they had all shaken off the shock and they agreed with Remus.

Martina smiled. "I know it won't be easy to unite the Houses but I'm willing to try my best," she vowed.

"And we'll be behind you the entire way," Lily said. The others nodded their agreement.

Martina was overcome with thankfulness and she hugged her friends, glad she wasn't in this alone.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here's chapter 7. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 7

_Martina smiled. "I know it won't be easy to unite the Houses but I'm willing to try my best," she vowed._

"_And we'll be behind you the entire way," Lily said. The others nodded their agreement._

_Martina was overcome with thankfulness and she hugged her friends, glad she wasn't in this alone._

Over the next few weeks, Martina was kept busy with classes and her evening sessions with Remus. Dumbledore had told all the teachers where Martina had really come from and he had asked her to be paired with Remus in all her classes so that he could help her. Dumbledore had also had the portraits of Helga and Rowena brought into the girls' dorm and had Salazar's portrait brought into the boys' dorm. Godric's portrait stayed in the Heads common room.

Martina's evening sessions with Remus were going well and she already knew the basic spells and was about to begin learning the more complex ones. She also learned to brew simple potions and was also about to move onto more complex things there.

During those sessions, Martina and Remus would talk and they got to know each other really well. It was during one of those sessions that Martina finally told him.

They had been brewing a potion in a deserted classroom and it was now simmering. Remus had put warding spells around the classroom so they wouldn't be disturbed. Martina had gone to the library the day after her talk with the founders and she had taken out several books on them. She wanted to know all about them and about what Hogwarts' was like. Normally, she and Remus looked through those while they talked but today Martina put aside the one she had and turned to Remus. Remus, sensing she wanted to talk, also put his book down and turned to her.

Martina took a deep breath and began, knowing she would have to be blunt. "Remus, I think there's something you should know," here she looked him straight in the eye. "I know you're a werewolf."

His response was kinda expected. He looked shocked and then he looked guilty and then he looked down. "Was that in this book you say we're from?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, and I also know that James, Sirius, and Peter are unregistered Animagi. James is a stag, Sirius is a dog, and Peter is a rat," Martina was watching Remus very closely while she said this, but he kept his head down.

"Look," she said. "It doesn't matter to me if you're a werewolf or a vampire or whatever. You're still Remus and that's what matters. I still like you for who you are. And I know that sounds incredibly cheesy but it's the truth. Also I think you should know, I didn't tell anyone. I didn't know if Lily or the other girls knew."

Remus looked up at her, disbelieving at first, but soon a smile spread across his face. "Lily knows," he said. "She found out first day back. James had been sneaking out to meet me, Sirius, and Peter and Lily had heard the portrait open and she had followed him. She saw him transform and go under the cloak. She must have lost him because she went back to the Heads rooms. When James returned, she confronted him and he told her everything. He made her promise not to tell anyone. You also can't tell anyone Martina."

"I won't," Martina promised.

She smiled at Remus and he smiled back. They then turned their attention back to their potion.

It was now a couple of days after that session, and Martina was hurrying through the halls. It was Saturday and she had officially been at Hogwarts' for three weeks. She had wanted to go to the library to look up more stuff about the founders'. She already knew quite a lot with all the books she had written and with talking to their portraits but she still wanted to know more.

The others had been helping her research and were also trying to be nice to those in other Houses, especially Slytherin. Martina had asked them not to go picking fights because she was supposed to unite the Houses. They had agreed and had all taken extra care to be nice. Now they were all relaxing in the Heads common room. Martina had wanted to study alone because she enjoyed the quiet of libraries so she had told them all to enjoy themselves.

She had just passed by the girls' bathroom when she heard crying. Curios and concerned, she pushed open the door and went in.

It wasn't hard to find the girl who was crying, as she was sitting in a corner with her head on her knees. Martina could see she was tall with blonde hair and she judged she was in fourth year.

"Hello?" Martina said cautiously. The girl's head shot up. "Are you okay?" Martina asked.

The girl wiped at her tears before standing up. Martina caught a good look at her face and clothes. She had brown hair and was wearing the school uniform with a yellow tie, which meant she was a Hufflepuff. Martina had always felt bad for Hufflepuffs because it seemed like all the other Houses looked down on them.

"What's your name?" Martina tried again, since the girl hadn't said anything.

"Linda White," the girl answered.

"Linda, are you okay?" Martina was now standing in front of the girl.

"Yeah," Linda said looking down.

"Linda, don't lie to me. You're crying so obviously, something's wrong. You can tell me."

"What's your name?" Lind asked Martina.

Martina thought it was a fairly reasonable question, so she answered, "My name's Martina Wilkinson. I'm a seventh year Gryffindor student." That was a bit more information then what Linda asked for, but Martina figured if Linda knew her better, she would tell her what's wrong.

"I'm in fourth year," Linda said. "Why do you want to know what's wrong with me?"

"I don't like to see anyone upset, even someone I don't know and if there's something I can do to help, I want to. So please tell me what's wrong?" Martina asked for the third time.

Linda took a deep breath. "I like this boy from Ravenclaw that's in my Herbology class, but he doesn't like me."

"Are you sure he doesn't like you?" Martina asked gently, sine Linda looked like she was about to cry again.

"Yes," Linda said.

"Have you ever talked to him?" Martina asked.

"Yes, he's my partner in class. He smart but he's also very sweet. He handsome and funny," Linda said, a little dreamily.

"So how do you know he doesn't like you?" Martina asked sweetly.

"I don't know if he does or not," Linda said weakly. "I'm too shy to ask him."

"Do you want me to ask him?" Martina said softly.

"Would you?" Linda asked, disbelieving.

"Yes, you would just have to tell me his name and show me what he looks like," Martina said, glad Linda didn't look upset anymore.

"His name's Ben Adams," Linda said, looking happy. "I can show him to you at lunch."

"Well, that's right now, so let's go," Martina said, looking at the clock on the wall.

"Okay," Linda said, smiling. Martina smiled to and together they walked out of the bathroom.

The Great Hall was as noisy as ever when Martina and Linda walked in. Martina's friends called to her and waved. She mouthed 'In a second' to them before returning her attention to Linda.

"There he is," Linda said pointing out a boy with brown hair and green eyes who was laughing with a few friends.

Martina told Linda to wait at the Hufflepuff table, before she made her way over to the boy.

When she approached him, his friends became quiet and they all looked at her. She ignored them and beckoned for Ben to follow her.

She led him to a corner where it was a little quieter. "Look, my name's Martina Wilkinson. We never met before and I'm pretty sure you don't know me, but there is something I need to talk to you about."

"Um…hi?" Ben said, confused.

Martina rolled her eyes and continued on. "Do you like a girl named Linda White?" she asked.

"Yes, how did you know?" Ben asked, more confused then ever.

"Because she likes you, but she's too shy to ask you herself so I told her I would ask you," Martina explained.

"Oh," Ben said.

"Yeah, so you might want to go talk to her, let her know and stuff," Martina said, turning the boy towards the Hufflepuff table.

He looked back at her and smiled. "Thanks," he said, before making his way to the table.

Martina smiled and walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Lily.

"What was that all about?" Lily asked.

"Just bringing people together," Martina said before digging in to her food.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I am sooooooo sorry for the late update but waaaaayyyyy too many things have been going on and it's just one of those times when you know you should update but you can't think of anything and it kinda goes to the back of your mind. So sorry again and here is my update. It's going to be very L/J focused but they won't get together just yet. It shows more how much James has grown up and how insecure Lily is about trusting him.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP. If I did, my life wouldn't be so complicated right now.**

**Chapter 8**

_Martina smiled and walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Lily. _

"_What was that all about?" Lily asked. _

"_Just bringing people together," Martina said before digging in to her food._

It was Sunday and Martina, Lily, Tina, Shelley, and Alice were in Lily's Head room. They were taking a break from studying and were just talking. Martina had watched Lily and James closely since she had arrived at Hogwarts' but it hadn't seemed like they were going out or that they even really liked each other. Well, okay, it seemed like Lily didn't really like James. James, however, seemed genuinely in love with Lily. Martina decided to ask Lily about it.

"Hey, Lily?" Martina began, trying to decide how best to word what she wanted to say. "I've seen you and James fighting. Do you two really dislike each other that much?"

All the other girls stopped talking and looked at Lily, waiting for her answer. "I really dislike him," Lily said after thinking a minute. "I don't hate him, but he is really annoying and he's always asking me out and claiming that he loves me. He doesn't even realize that he shouldn't say those things if he doesn't mean them." Lily huffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder and out of her eyes.

"What if he does mean them?" Martina asked quietly.

Lily hesitated before answering. "He doesn't," she said quietly, almost like she was trying to convince herself.

Before Martina could respond, voices and footsteps were heard in the Heads common room and Lily went to go see if James was back.

When the door closed behind her, Shelley, Alice, and Tina all let out a sigh.

"Why doesn't she just admit how she feels?" Alice asked, looking at the other girls desperately.

"She's afraid," Tina said calmly, braiding Shelley's hair.

"Of what?" Martina asked.

"Of admitting how she feels to James and then finding out it was just a big joke and James was only after her because she was the only girl that wouldn't swoon at the sight of him," Shelley said, sucking on a Sugar Quill.

"But James has changed this year," Alice said. "He's stopped hexing people for the fun of it and he only insults the Slytherins if they start it."

"We know, but Lily won't listen to it. She _wants_ to believe James isn't serious," Tina said.

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a crash and a shout from the common room. When they opened the door, they saw Lily and James standing on opposite sides of the room, with Peter, Sirius, and Remus standing by the fireplace, watching the scene with interest. There was a table overturned with a leg broken off, the source of the crash. How the table got like that, none of the girls knew and they weren't about to ask Lily or James, both who were not happy at the moment. However, Lily looked angry while James looked sad.

"Potter, you arrogant, egotistical, big-headed jerk," Lily screeched. "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid!"

Martina recognized the insult from the fifth Harry Potter book, but she was more interested in the look on James' face. It seemed that his face had fallen with every word Lily had shouted at him.

"Lily, listen," James tried.

"I don't want to listen to any more of your lame attempts, Potter. Just leave me alone!" Lily shouted as loud as she could.

Martina decided now was a good time to interfere, before James' face fell any lower.

"Lily, why don't you go back inside your room?" Martina wanted to talk to James without Lily there because she was pretty sure Lily wouldn't like what Martina was going to talk about.

Lily didn't say one more word and marched straight into her room. The other girls followed her, except for Martina, who went over to the couch in front of the fireplace that James had collapsed on with his head in his hands. His friends were gathered around him trying to console him.

"Forget it James," Sirius said, thumping James on the back. "She's not worth it."

"But I wonder why she is so riled up?" Remus asked. The others looked at him. "Well, it's not like you ask her out five times a day like you did before. In fact, this is only the second time you've asked her since the start of the year. Surely, she must have seen how much you've changed."

"Oh, she's seen," Martina spoke up. All the guys turned to look at her. "What she hasn't seen is if you really love her."

"I tell her I do all the time," James cried out.

"Yes, but you always do it in front of a crowd, don't you?" James silence was answer enough for Martina. "Exactly. She thinks you're just doing it to get attention."

"That can't be the only thing wrong," Remus said.

Martina looked straight at him. "It's not. Lily is also afraid that you really don't love her and that if she were to develop feelings for you or go out with you, she would find out it was just a joke and you weren't really serious about her. That would hurt worse than any physical pain."

"How do you know this?" Remus asked.

"Because even I feel that way. It would be devastating to find out that the guy you loved never really loved you, he just wanted you because you were a challenge," Martina said not making eye contact with Remus.

"But how do I show her I'm serious?" James said looking desperately at Martina.

"Try doing something less public, but you might want to give Lily some time before you do," Martina suggested. James nodded. "OK, now I have to go see if Lily's alright."

Martina entered Lily's room to find her on the bed with her head in her hands with her friends around her. It was oddly similar to the pose James had a couple minutes ago in the Heads common room.

"Why do I insult him like that and make him think I hate him?" Lily said, raising her head to look at Martina. Martina could see the confusion on your face.

"Maybe it's because you don't dislike him as much as you think you do," Shelley said.

"Or as much as you want to," Martina added.

"But how do I know if I can trust him?" Lily asked.

"You won't know until you take a chance," Martina said.

Lily looked away and didn't say anything. _It's a start_, Martina thought,


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Yes, I'm not dead. I'm sorry for the long update. Truth be told, I didn't think anyone really cared for this story and besides that, I just wasn't having any good ideas, but that's OK now. So, as my apology, here's the next chapter and it actually starts to develop the plot a little. And about **_**Deathly Hallows**_**, Lily and Snape will not be as close as they were in the book, but they will still be friends.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Harry Potter**_** or anything related to it. I only own myself (Martina) and the plot. **

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**Chapter 9**

"_But how do I know if I can trust him?" Lily asked._

"_You won't know until you take a chance," Martina said._

_Lily looked away and didn't say anything. It's a start, Martina thought._

A week had passed since that incident, and except for a full moon, nothing really interesting had happened. Martina had been working over-time, trying to catch up on all the magic she didn't know, as well as passing the classes she already was in. On top of that, the job (as she now started to call it) the Founders' had set for her was proving more difficult than she imagined.

The Marauders' had been trying their best not to pick on Slytherins' but it was a little difficult when the Slytherins' themselves couldn't stop insulting the Gryffindors.

Martina knew that she would eventually have to talk with some of the Slytherins', as well as students from the other houses. The only problem was-who was going to actually listen to, much less believe a girl from an alternate universe, especially when she claimed to know their probable future?

It was ridiculous, and it was one of the many things she discussed with the Founders' portraits, which she had taken to chatting with in a little room Salazar showed her, telling her that had been where they had stayed before she came. Martina had yet to show this room to Lily or the Marauders', though she didn't really know why.

She talked to all of them about many things, including their own personal histories. The more she knew about the people, the better she would be able to understand the Houses. Besides, they were they fascinating and they gave her more background on the magical world than she had ever learned from the _Harry Potter_ books.

It was during one of these meetings that Martina decided to share the idea of whom she should talk to from other Houses.

"Salazar?" Martina asked, once she got settled on the couch the Founders had asked Dumbledore to be placed in the room (Martina still hadn't worked up the nerve to actually go talk with the Headmaster one-on-one about what she had to do. Kind or not, Dumbledore was still impressive and intimidating when you were alone with him).

"Yes?" Salazar responded, looking at her with his piecing black eyes. Every time she looked at him, she had a vague feeling of déjà vu, but it was gone before she could entirely grasp it.

"Do you know a boy named Severus Snape?" Martina asked, hesitantly.

In the back of her mind, Snape had always been her first choice for communication with the Slytherins' and truth be told, Martina desperately wanted to meet him. He was one of her favorite characters in the book, and although she knew he wasn't entirely pleasant (alright he was a bit of a bastard), she still wanted to talk with him.

"Yes, he's a bright boy, except for the fact that he hangs out with the Malfoy boy and those two Black sisters. Why do you ask?" Salazar said.

"I think he would be our best choice for a friendship with the Slytherins' and he is the Slytherin I know the most about," Martina said, trying not to look at Salazar. She had a bit more of a business interest in Snape, but she didn't want the Founders to know that.

"Hmm," Salazar contemplated. "You're right about him being the best person and I also know he's a whiz at Potions. You could ask Slughorn to find a tutor for you and suggest to him that Mr. Snape would be best."

_That would work really well_, Martina thought. _Remus isn't the best at Potions and Lily is always busy with Head duties and patrolling, so she couldn't really tutor me on a weekly basis._

"I think I'll mention that to Slughorn. My next Potions class is Friday and seeing as how today's Tuesday, that gives me three days to convince James and Sirius not to pull any tricks on him for a while, which is the most I can hope for with those two," Martina sighed.

"That'll work out nicely," Godric commented.

Martina started, almost forgetting the other Founders were in the room as well, so caught up in her thoughts as she was.

"Yes," Rowena said. "And from my house, might I suggest trying to befriend Selene Lovegood. She has several-er-interesting theories, but she's very bright and friendly."

"From Hufflepuff, Derrick Abbott would be a good choice. The boy isn't top in the class, but he's loyal and trusting. It's a shame Amos graduated already, though. He was a good boy and caring almost to a fault, though he would get a little caught up in work," Helga spoke up.

"Good," Martina nodded approvingly.

She wanted to take it one person at a time and get to know people closely. The idea that she was helping create the Wizarding world Harry would be born into (although hopefully with some major changes) still made her head spin, but it was slowly becoming normal for her to see a portrait move or a chair Summoned right out of midair.

She yawned, tired and knowing she still had an essay for Herbology to write, due tomorrow, thanks to James and Sirius's antics getting the class in trouble.

Suppressing another yawn, Martina pulled her bag over to her and took out her Herbology book, parchment, quill, and a bottle of emerald green ink which Martina found really beautiful, despite the non-House color of it, something Sirius had dramatically pointed out. Honestly, Martina had to wonder about him sometimes, with the dramatic way he handled things at times.

Flipping her book open to the correct page, Martina headed her essay (20 Uses for Mandrakes and the Discovery of Each) and started to read the correct chapter in her book.

About halfway through her essay, Martina was yawning every five minutes and could barely keep her eyes open.

"Why don't you go to bed now, and finish it up tomorrow, dear?" Helga asked, after the third time of Martina falling asleep with her head on her hands and almost cracking her head on the table after her arm slipped.

"Can't," Martina replied sleepily. "It's due first thing in the morning, because we don't have Herbology today." Cursing James and Sirius, she once again focused on the 11th use for mandrakes, which she had been 'reading' for the past twenty minutes.

It proved useless, however, as she fell asleep again, this time her head dropped onto her book and she didn't wake.

"Oh dear," Rowena said, nervously. "What do we do now?"

"Leave her," Godric replied. "She's been in here every evening as well as having lessons with the Lupin boy and her normal school work. She's doing too much and I don't think anything we say will have any impact."

"Yes, she has the Gryffindor stubbornness," Salazar remarked, earning himself a glare from Godric. "However, we shouldn't leave her sleeping on the table like that. Concentrate for a minute and help me."

Taking a deep breath, each Founder stretched a hand out to point where Martina's wand lay on the table. Moving in synchronicity, they concentrated and managed to lift the wand off the table and move it around to cast the spell, all the while muttering the incantation.

The table and chair Martina had been sleeping on turned into a bed with a tie-dye pattern of red, green, yellow, and blue. Another flick, this time with Helga concentrating the hardest, and the Herbology essay was complete, correctly, in Martina's handwriting. A final spell sent all her books and paper into a neat and organized pile at the end of the bed.

"That was a one time help," Rowena said, being the least comfortable with technically cheating and finishing a students' homework.

"Oh, lighten up, Rowena," Salazar drawled. "We need her as much as she needs us in this world. Or did you happen to forget the part where she's the one who is going to unite our Houses and prevent the disintegration of the Wizarding world."

"Enough, you two," Godric said, complacently. "We're exhausted as well and we should get some rest."

Muttering good-nights, the rest of the Founders' settled down to sleep, but not before glancing once more at the sleeping girl resting peacefully on the bed.

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**End A/N: About the Founders being able to use Martina's wand, remember a piece of their souls is in both the wand and the portraits, so combine those two and you get the Founders having enough power to use her wand and cast spells. Though you can see how conflicting they might be sometimes, but oh well, tie-dye is cool. And yay, I just learned how to do the line thing between the story and my author notes. I never realized it was on . I always thought it was something I had to do on my own computer.**


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